[Albion] Brighton Women Final Home Game this season to be staged at the Amex on 28th April

[zeetha]

[MENTION=19028]zeetha[/MENTION] any idea if the club shop and/or any of the bars will be open on sunday?

Oh, and good luck with mum's operation

Cheers!

'Fraid I don't know whether the bars and club shop will be open on Sunday, but I imagine that the shop at the very least will be as all of East Lower is open now (they've been opening more blocks as demand has been growing) so I would imagine a crowd of a few thousand.

 

[zeetha]

Fingers crossed for your Mum's op, and for the Albion women on Sunday Zeetha!!

Thanks!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Women's football has to survive and grow on its own merits. Subsidising it to football fans who follow the men's game is not the way forward..

Men’s football is heavily subsidised though. Tony Bloom has been proping us up for years. So why can’t the women’s game be the same?

 

[Easy 10]

Men’s football is heavily subsidised though. Tony Bloom has been proping us up for years. So why can’t the women’s game be the same?

Lack of interest ?

 

[BNthree]

Assume all ST holders plus 1901s received letter from Bloom about game and asking to attend for free. This is an expensive way to hopefully get a good crowd.. Do you know what the estimate is

Whilst I can't make the game myself I had a look at tickets for it and currently only the East lower is open for tickets with few hundred tickets available still.

 

[hart's shirt]

Men’s football is heavily subsidised though. Tony Bloom has been proping us up for years. So why can’t the women’s game be the same?

Tony Bloom is currently propping up the Albion women's team to the tune of £655,696 (the 11 month time period which ended 30th June 2018).

The previous amount was £360,984 (7th July 2016 - 31 July 2017), thus a total in excess of a million.
https://twitter.com/RichJLaverty/status/1113744447374802944

With the Albion's elevation to the WSL, the 2018-2019 figures could be significantly more than that.

Possibilities of 'same' just aren't valid here because women's domestic football in the modern age has no history of attracting large paying crowds, TV rights, sponsorship, etc.

Simply relying on wealthy club owners to continually pay the bills and keep the show on the road isn't the way for women's football to grow.

 

[Beach Seagull]

Tony Bloom is currently propping up the Albion women's team to the tune of £655,696 (the 11 month time period which ended 30th June 2018).

The previous amount was £360,984 (7th July 2016 - 31 July 2017), thus a total in excess of a million.
https://twitter.com/RichJLaverty/status/1113744447374802944

With the Albion's elevation to the WSL, the 2018-2019 figures could be significantly more than that.

Possibilities of 'same' just aren't valid here because women's domestic football in the modern age has no history of attracting large paying crowds, TV rights, sponsorship, etc.

Simply relying on wealthy club owners to continually pay the bills and keep the show on the road isn't the way for women's football to grow.

I love Tony Bloom but why waste such a large amount on the women's team? Total madness. Despite what the BBC like to claim there is not huge interest in the women's game and never will be. Ridiculous playing the Arsenal game at the Amex, 3k rattling around in a 30k stadium. No objection whatever to women playing football, good luck to them but don't make out we are all interested in it. No doubt the BBC will be wetting themselves when the women's world cup starts, pretending the whole country is gripped when in reality it will attract little interest.

 

[hart's shirt]

No doubt the BBC will be wetting themselves when the women's world cup starts, pretending the whole country is gripped when in reality it will attract little interest.

One reason the BBC promotes women's football so much is because it's one of the few live sports they have still have the TV rights to show.

Due to 'the unique way the BBC is funded', there's plenty of cash for pundits now they've stopped competing for headline sport.

One might even suggest that the BBC's commitment is there to justify their salaries in covering a minority sport.

 

[Diablo]

I love Tony Bloom but why waste such a large amount on the women's team? Total madness. Despite what the BBC like to claim there is not huge interest in the women's game and never will be. Ridiculous playing the Arsenal game at the Amex, 3k rattling around in a 30k stadium. No objection whatever to women playing football, good luck to them but don't make out we are all interested in it. No doubt the BBC will be wetting themselves when the women's world cup starts, pretending the whole country is gripped when in reality it will attract little interest.

Agree absolutely. The club should let people opt out of receiving anything to do with womens game!!!

 

[Beach Seagull]

One reason the BBC promotes women's football so much is because it's one of the few live sports they have still have the TV rights to show.

Due to 'the unique way the BBC is funded', there's plenty of cash for pundits now they've stopped competing for headline sport.

One might even suggest that the BBC's commitment is there to justify their salaries in covering a minority sport.

Agree partly but it's also because the BBC is full of trendy Guardian reading types as well, desperate to show their commitment to 'diversity' I sincerely hope England absolutely bomb in the WC so we won't have to put up with the BBC telling us the 'whole nation is behind them' when in reality you could go to a pub if they got to the final and hardly one person would be watching it.

 

[Beach Seagull]

Agree absolutely. The club should let people opt out of receiving anything to do with womens game!!!

Agree. I get annoyed when I get an email about a forthcoming women's fixture.........DELETE!!!

 

[Palacefinder General]

1956 just called, it wants its opinions back. Do none of you have daughters?

 

[Gwylan]

I love Tony Bloom but why waste such a large amount on the women's team? Total madness. Despite what the BBC like to claim there is not huge interest in the women's game and never will be. Ridiculous playing the Arsenal game at the Amex, 3k rattling around in a 30k stadium. No objection whatever to women playing football, good luck to them but don't make out we are all interested in it. No doubt the BBC will be wetting themselves when the women's world cup starts, pretending the whole country is gripped when in reality it will attract little interest.

England's semi-final defeat at the last WWC attracted more than 4m TV viewers ... despite kicking off at midnight. By no stretch of the imagination can that be deemed of 'little interest'

It's still early days for women's football but it can only grow and grow ... once the older generation has died out

 

[Diablo]

Do none of you have daughters?

No ! don`t know about others but I have a daughter , why do you ask ??

 

[zeetha]

Ridiculous playing the Arsenal game at the Amex, 3k rattling around in a 30k stadium.

Just out of curiosity do you object to the Under 23s playing at the Amex as well? The only stand open for their matches is West Lower so will be the same situation as for the Womens match in terms of number of fans rattling around...

 

[hart's shirt]

Just out of curiosity do you object to the Under 23s playing at the Amex as well? The only stand open for their matches is West Lower so will be the same situation as for the Womens match in terms of number of fans rattling around...

Zeetha, fair play to you for posting regular threads over the course of the season about Albion Women. I've enjoyed reading them.

As in Post 41, I've got no problem with any Albion side (Under 23, Women, whoever) playing at the Amex on a one-off basis, regardless of attendance.

I'm interested to know your thoughts on both the interest level and the financial sustainability of the women's game at a domestic, week by week level.

This women's football thread may have been the busiest over the season, which at least shows some interest in discussion, even if there is disagreement.

 

[Lindfield by the Pond]

3 daughters, 1 son. My girls love their sport (as does my lad). None got into football despite my best efforts! Probably why. Other sports took their preference, Taekwondo in the main, 3rd degree, 2nd degree and 1st degree at the moment, but football never got them. Uni and School netball, and Sussex cricket also been enjoyed but never taken further. Why did football never take hold?
No real local arrangements is probably the answer. Got better since, but too late for them. They have other sporting ambitions now. Would loved to have seen them play in the stripes, but now watch them do their own thing. Women’s Football is getting a foot hold, and long may it continue. It’s growth is probably too late for my girls, but not for others. It's a great game after all.

 

[zeetha]

Zeetha, fair play to you for posting regular threads over the course of the season about Albion Women. I've enjoyed reading them.

Cheers!

I'm interested to know your thoughts on both the interest level and the financial sustainability of the women's game at a domestic, week by week level.

This women's football thread may have been the busiest over the season, which at least shows some interest in discussion, even if there is disagreement.

I don't mind discussion about Womens football, even if people disagree with me about whether its of any interest I do get a little annoyed at people who persist on coming onto these threads just to say how much womens football is rubbish and they have no interest in it but maybe they protest too much??

As much as I love Womens football and am an avid supporter of it, I don't believe that currently the Womens game is sustainable at the domestic level without successful 'parent' (i.e. mens) clubs helping out - see what has happened with Yeovil this season as they have not been able to sustain a fully professional squad as they do not have the money behind them. This is for a number of reasons I'm sure but the FA was and is the main cause - from banning the womens game for so many years, to not supporting it (and actively obstructing) when women started playing again, all the way up to the lip service they paid when they were supporting it and now they can't stop fiddling with it. Changing the league structure, changing when the league plays, making the games so erratic noone can be sure when a team is playing, etc, etc. I think the Albion went 6 weeks at one stage this season without a game!! Of course, the FA aren't alone in this - UEFA and FIFA haven't exactly been bastions of support and encouragement either over the years - but they could (and probably should) have done more to support it.

Obviously I'm a little biased as I've been following and going to womens football for some years, but I do believe interest in the game is growing and will continue to do so especially with the Womens World Cup this year. People have to see and hear about it to know it exists and is a sport that women can do - something that I did not growing up - and the more coverage there is in all forms of media of Womens football (and other Womens sport) the more the interest will grow. Hopefully that will turn into better attendances at domestic games next season but in order for that to really happen the FA has to sort out the schedule - whether they will or not is another matter...

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Tony Bloom is currently propping up the Albion women's team to the tune of £655,696 (the 11 month time period which ended 30th June 2018).

The previous amount was £360,984 (7th July 2016 - 31 July 2017), thus a total in excess of a million.
https://twitter.com/RichJLaverty/status/1113744447374802944

With the Albion's elevation to the WSL, the 2018-2019 figures could be significantly more than that.

Possibilities of 'same' just aren't valid here because women's domestic football in the modern age has no history of attracting large paying crowds, TV rights, sponsorship, etc.

Simply relying on wealthy club owners to continually pay the bills and keep the show on the road isn't the way for women's football to grow.

As I said, you seem to accept men’s teams relying on wealthy club owners. Why do you have an issue with the women’s game doing the same?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Agree partly but it's also because the BBC is full of trendy Guardian reading types as well, desperate to show their commitment to 'diversity' I sincerely hope England absolutely bomb in the WC so we won't have to put up with the BBC telling us the 'whole nation is behind them' when in reality you could go to a pub if they got to the final and hardly one person would be watching it.

Given the game was on at midnight, and given the U.K.’s still archaic licensing ..... I very much doubt you could as the pub would have closed.

Wouldn’t happen in Germany of course.